Automatic music performing apparatus with intermediate span designating faculty

An apparatus for automatically instructing a music performance, in an electronic musical instrument, comprising:

• note data memory means storing a plurality of note data for forming a music composition comprised of paired combination of pitch data and duration data;
• readout means connected to said note data memory means for successively reading out said note data by successive accessing of the note data stored in said note data memory means;
• start position designating means for designating a start position in said music composition at which a performance based on said note data having been read out is to be started;
• position searching means connected to said readout means for searching positions of readout note data contained in said music composition;
• start position detecting means connected to said start position designating means and to said position searching means to compare said designated start position with searched positions to thereby detect a performance starting position in said music composition upon coincidence established between these two positions as a result of the comparison;
• control means connected to said readout means and to said start position detecting means to control said readout means, in accordance with the detection of the designated start position in said music composition, to successively access the note data stored in said note data memory means at a speed determined by each duration data contained in each of said note data beginning with the note data at the designated start position, to thereby form a performance signal by virtue of the note data read out from said note data memory means as a result of said accessing;
• and
• indicating means connected to said readout means to successively indicate playing positions on said electronic musical instrument corresponding to respective note pitches defined by said performance signal.